WildWords: Sermons from Wildwood Mennonite Church

Remember coming to church in person? Getting dressed up (or at least fully dressed), leaving the house, sharing mediocre church coffee, making (or avoiding) eye contact with real humans... Well, it's almost time for that again at WMC--starting next Sunday, Sept 12. And first, tune in to hear why Joe thinks church might just be worth the effort (even for those of you not paid to be there...)!

This Sunday we explore rules, boundaries, institutions: how they can serve as a grounding for our experiences of God, but how they are merely the human-made containers in which we hold our finite understandings of God.

"Listen: Our God is One" ~ When asked to sum up the core of faith, that's what Jesus said: God is One. And (I'm paraphrasing here...) you are One, and we all are One. Preposterous, given the trainwreck that life on this planet can seem to be sometimes... Or is it possible that we have been seeing things incompletely, missing a larger unity of which we are all a part? That's the Yellow space on the...

The Spiral Dynamics model describes the last fifty years as a massive shift from Orange to Green as the leading edge of Western society. Green is the space of inclusion, equality, globalism: lifting up the inherent value in each person and story. It's easy to recognize Wildwood as a generally Green church... how did we get here? And what does it mean to be healthy and whole in our Green approach t...

Knock-knock! (Who's there?) ORANGE! (Orange who??) Orange you glad this series is almost over???  Okay, don't answer that honestly... but yeah, this week our journey through the Spiral Dynamics model brings us to the Orange spaces of research, technology, logic and productivity. Reason and Science are often positioned as the antithesis to Faith... but does it have to be that way? Bring your n...

This week we are taking a break from the "Faith of Many Colours" theme and will be led by David Schwinghamer and Sean Baergen in examining lessons we have learned in maintaining community through our Covid experience. What have we learned? And how can we do things better in the future?

Feeling Blue?? The Blue we're talking about this week in our journey through Spiral Dynamics theory is all about peace, order, and good government (hey, that's catchy). What does that have to do with faith? And did this (basic!) pastor really manage to go the whole sermon about Blue without a single Eiffel 65 reference? Join us and see! #DaBaDeeDaBaDi

Which stories have shaped our faith? Who are the people whose examples and influence we lean on? Jesus' story includes some pretty unexpected mentions... do we seek out those kinds of influences as well? This week Patrick Preheim, Co-Pastor at Nutana Park Mennonite Church, shares with us his sermon "Story Shaping Story" drawn from Matthew 1:1-17. This sermon was recorded on June 6,...

What Colour is your Faith? This summer at Wildwood, we're exploring the model of Spiral Dynamics as a way to understand the many different faith perspectives that are within and around all of us. Week 2 on the Spiral brings us to Purple: How do I get what I need in a world that is beyond my understanding, let alone my control? Grab your magic wands and customer loyalty cards and join us!

What Colour is your Faith? This summer at Wildwood, we're exploring the model of Spiral Dynamics as a way to understand the many different faith perspectives that are within and around all of us. Up first is "Beige: Primal Faith." Stayin' alive, stayin' alive, oh, oh, oh, oh Stayin' aLIIIIIIVE......

I thought Easter was supposed to be a celebration of the Risen Christ! So why is everybody so quiet at the end of Mark's version of the story?? "...and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid." Join us for a guided meditation inviting us further into this expected/unexpected end to our series on the gospel of Mark.

What do Luke Skywalker, Erin Brockovich, Harry Potter, Elsa and Anna, Joseph Campbell and Al Pacino have in common? Guest spots in this week's sermon, of course! Beyond the star power, there is a message of finding Hope at the bottom of the Hero's Journey.  Check it out! #nocelebritieswereharmedinthemakingofthismessage

We are pleased this week to have Kerry Reimer join us and share with us about his work at Parkland Restorative Justice and P2P. Kerry also shares his thoughts on divine nature, mystical union and more!

Salt, fire, and a butcher block. No, it's not barbecue season at Wildwood. Well, it is, but this is definitely not that! Were talking about a bizarre teaching from Jesus, inviting his followers to cut off their arms, get salted, and burn that Eternal Flame (Mark 9:43-50, for realz). Or something like that... it's really quite confusing. Never fear, Rev. Sherlock is on the case! Join us, and pass t...

Join us this week as Josephine challenges us to face our privilege, to listen and learn, and to move through suffering collectively.

It's almost lakes-and-boats season in Saskatchewan! Time for a refresher on proper storm safety protocol--because if you call on Jesus to save you from drowning, you might not get the gentle saviour you were hoping for... Also in this episode: Joe settles the SkyDome / Rogers Centre debate, once and for all.

A deranged emperor. A wild-man prophet. And one of the world's great artists, introduced to himself by a time-travelling Doctor. Because an epic story like the gospel of Mark deserves an epic introduction. Join us!

"Emotions are tunnels. If you go all the way through them, you get to  the light at the end. Exhaustion happens when we get stuck in an  emotion.” ~ Emily and Amelia Nagoski. Remember that scene in the garden,  when the disciples kept falling asleep while Jesus prayed? Might there  have been some emotional baggage behind that exhaustion? And if so, what  hope can that give...

Are you tired of the same old, same old? Ready for a feast? Are you ready to rise from the depths of where you’ve been? Easter resurrection invites us to a new life - a more fulfilling life. Jesus' all-inclusive feast is set before us – and you are called by name. You – yes, YOU – are invited to this feast!

This week's theme has us thinking about the power of moving water and its ability to either help or hinder us in travelling forward.  As we celebrate Palm Sunday, we have the chance to reflect on the currents that brought Jesus into Jerusalem.  These included the celebratory energy of the crowds moving him forward and the current of God that shaped his entire life.  You are encourag...

Spring weather got you itching to get your hands in the dirt of your garden? Easy, pardner, plantin' season is still a long way off! How about a nice, soil-themed sermon to soothe that spring fever?  Join us for a conversation about amaryllis bulbs, regenerative farming, and the ancient call to tending our internal soil.

As we wade into the murky waters of wilderness, let’s do our best to remember the promise we celebrate in baptism, of a God calling us into life. But if that’s a hard hope to cling to, remember the words of Anne Lamott “The opposite of faith is not doubt: It is certainty.”

Still waiting for the release of Top Gun 2? This is definitely not that... but week 3 of our Lent series invites us to take to the skies in search of Wisdom. So please place your copies of Psalm 19 under the seat in front of you, raise your tray tables and securely fasten your seat belt--it's time to buzz the tower!

"If you would save your life, you'll lose it. But if you lose your life for my sake, you'll save it. What would you gain if you were to win the whole world but lose your self in the process?" A provocative challenge from Jesus (Mark 8:31-28). Are we meant to literally follow him to the cross and our own deaths for the greater good? And if not that extreme, then what?

Lent 2021 begins with a global disaster (of course it does....) Well, a story about one, anyway--Noah and the Great Flood. What's so inspirational about a vengeful god destroying the planet, you ask? Besides the cute animals, obviously...